“Alright, I agree,” the fly demon said with a blank expression.
Though its face had no expression, the demon had indeed communicated with a certain existence after stepping outside and reached an agreent for this cooperation.
Lynn gave a faint smile. He knew who was backing the fly demon.
After his last departure, Lynn had suspected that the fly demon was looking to align itself with soone influential. Such behavior was common in the Abyss. For most demons, being associated with a promising leader was a mark of honor.
The Abyss was a stage brimming with talent, but opportunities for advancent were scarce. If Lynn’s guess was correct, the one behind the fly demon was Dyo.
Kathryn’s biological mother—perhaps next ti, he could find an opportunity for Kathryn to et her. This Dyo had just beco an Abyss Lord. If one were to compare it to a country, it was like a newly established kingdom, fraught with conflicts with neighboring lands, beset with internal strife, and in the midst of rebuilding.
Such a kingdom, in its developntal phase, often required foreign “investnt,” presenting a golden opportunity for Lynn.
Much like the transaction with the fly demon, Lynn suspected that the fly demon itself wasn’t in dire need of the weapons. The quantity requested far exceeded what the fly demon would personally require. Lynn wasn’t in a hurry, though. Even in cooperation, one had to demonstrate their worth.
In this instance, Lynn saw an opportunity to showcase his capabilities through the weapon trade. By delivering a substantial number of high-quality weapons, he would prove his value as a partner. The success of this initial collaboration would set the stage for more favorable negotiations and the acquisition of further projects.
With the ergence of a new Abyss Lord, the redistribution of resources would surely be a bloody storm. The corners of Lynn’s mouth rose, and he found himself looking forward to the unfolding events.
After collecting the ores, Lynn returned to his laboratory in Demon City. Without delay, he began analyzing the properties of this batch of Abyss raw ores, researching relevant information on the market. The ores provided by the fly demon were not particularly rare; there were several similar types available comrcially, including finished ore products. Lynn noted the prices quietly and realized he had secured a considerable bargain.
At a small tavern, Lynn arranged to et a wizard apprentice who specialized in the study of ores and tals.
The apprentice had just finished her research, and her clothes were still covered in dust and gri from the ores. She pushed up her oversized glasses and, sitting across from Lynn, said, “So you’re here for a knowledge exchange?”
“Hm, that’s right,” Lynn replied. “I’ve heard that you have so expertise with Abyss ores, and I’m in need of that data. In return, if there’s any specific knowledge you’re interested in, I can offer a portion of what I have.”
Knowledge was priceless, yet it also ca at a steep cost. For many wizard apprentices, the expense of acquiring experintal source materials was already burdenso. Adding significant expenditure on knowledge could be a harsh blow to an already strained budget.
Therefore, so savvy apprentices had ford a knowledge exchange society, allowing them to trade and share information.
Since knowledge was challenging to quantify, exchanges were usually based on prior agreents about the content and scope of what would be exchanged. Typically, the trade involved fields where apprentices were currently lacking in knowledge, and the value was less of a concern.
Lynn had never participated in such exchanges before, but he had heard about the society over the years. He had taken the initiative to contact Jado, whom he knew, to gain access to this small circle and find an apprentice who focused on ores research.
“You were introduced by Jado. He’s quite an old-tir in these circles. He ntioned that you’re proficient in alchemy. Do you have any knowledge about alchemical puppets?” the female apprentice asked.
“You’re planning to create alchemical puppets.”
“That does not concern you.” The female apprentice frowned slightly.
“Haha, I have no intentions of prying,” Lynn said with a gentle smile. “Just wait a mont. I’ve worked with so alchemical puppets myself. I believe these might be useful to you.”
Lynn took out the alchemical notes he had previously obtained from the bookshelf in the Alchemy Laboratory.
Those notes contained the thod for creating Iron Earthworms, along with so research insights, which would surely be sufficient for a novice looking to delve into the study of alchemical puppets.
Seeing Lynn’s gentle smile, the female apprentice was montarily in a trance. She lowered her gaze, apparently surprised by the generous offer of so many notebooks. After a mont of stunned silence, she adjusted her glasses and, with a hint of shyness, took out a notebook from her own collection.
“This one contains my research on the properties of various tals under different conditions and reactions. I’ve omitted many steps in the process,” she added quickly.
Lynn glanced through the notebook the apprentice had provided. It contained a comprehensive array of experintal designs, including tensile tests, high and low-temperature tensile tests, compression tests, shear tests, torsion tests, bending tests, hardness tests, and energy injection experints among many others. These details, though seemingly mundane, saved him a considerable amount of effort.
The data, while intricate, was indispensable. Testing a new tal’s functionality required thorough examination.
The female apprentice reviewed the contents of the notebooks Lynn had given her, finding them quite valuable. After so contemplation, she produced another notebook. “This one contains my research on a particular alloy. The materials used are all Abyss ores. This alloy has excellent toughness, hardness, and overall performance. However, it has one major flaw—it deteriorates significantly after five years.”
The female apprentice hesitated, recognizing that the alloy was not a complete success. It wasn’t entirely useless, but it held no practical value for her.
Hearing about such a tal piqued Lynn’s interest. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he tapped his fingers on the table without showing any expression. It wasn’t until the female apprentice placed the notebook on the table that Lynn turned his full attention to it.
He reached out and picked up the notebook, flipping through it briefly before closing it. “Well, let’s consider this a pleasant collaboration,” Lynn said with a smile, extending his right hand. Their hands briefly touched before parting.
What he had initially expected to be a routine transaction had unexpectedly turned out to be quite promising.
A normal warrior would not consider purchasing such an alloy, given its short five-year lifespan. However, for demons engaged in frequent battles, this would be a different story. With weapons subjected to such intense and frequent use, rapid wear and tear was not unusual. After all, if a weapon never wore out, why would they purchase new ones?
Back in his laboratory, Lynn stayed up all night studying the information in the notes. Fortunately, it was not overly complex, and with the guidance provided, the dwarves were able to produce a batch of new finished products within half a month under Lynn’s direction.
Now, the quality of this batch of finished weapons could be considered excellent even among weapons of the sa level in Demon City.
That is, if one were to overlook their five-year lifespan.
Lynn reentered the Abyss and threw the fly demon’s token on the ground. Then he returned to Demon City and, after waiting for about a day, he re-entered the Abyss.
As soon as he stepped in, he saw the fly demon squatting nearby, looking at him with a resentful expression.
“Cough, how long have you been waiting?” Lynn asked.
“Half a day,” replied the fly demon.
“…”
“I went back to switch mount this ti, so it only took half a day,” the fly demon said, brushing the dust off its body as it stood.
“Alright, let’s see your materials,” the fly demon urged.
Lynn presented the newly crafted weapons. The designs were, as usual, in the distinctive style of the dwarves.
However, the fly demon did not pay much attention to the appearance, as it had already seen it before. The primary concern was the quality of the weapons. Despite the short span of only half a month, the demon was skeptical about any significant improvent in quality.
The fly demon picked up one of the weapons and seed intent on testing it by striking its own arm.
Lynn reminded kindly, “How about we use a different test subject? I’m worried you might injure yourself.”
The fly demon pondered this for a mont, noting Lynn’s confidence and deciding that the suggestion made sense.
With a wave of its hand towards the sky, a dark speck began to grow larger as it approached. Rays of sunlight pierced through the shadowy figure descending from above.
With a gust of wind stirred by its mighty wings, a bone dragon with slightly yellowed bones landed from the sky.
——
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